MELANCHOLIA

MELANCHOLIA is an English language drama by humanist Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier. The story imagines another planet rocketing towards earth. As anxiety mounts about the possible end of the world, a highly dysfunctional family gathers together for the marriage of Justine. Justine suffers from deep psychological troubles and is cared for intensely by her sister, Claire. The movie contrasts Justine’s erratic character during the wedding with Claire’s behavior afterwards, as the other planet nears Earth. A sense of melancholy dominates their lives.

The merits of MELANCHOLIA lie without doubt in the breathtaking cinematography, performances, and dream-like narrative. There’s little hope of redemption, however, in the movie’s worldview. “The earth is evil,” explains Justine, who’s prone to visions. “We don’t need to grieve for it. Nobody will miss it.” Families and friendship provide a mere glimmer of comfort in MELANCHOLIA. Also, human beings lead an insect-like state where they exist and function merely for the good of the social order. MELANCHOLIA also has some foul language, lewd content, and explicit nudity. That content, coupled with the lack of hope or redemption, will turn off most media-wise viewers.

HEADLINE: ** Depressing Melancholy **

TITLE: MELANCHOLIA

Quality: * * * Acceptability: -3

SUBTITLES: None

WARNING CODES:

Language: LL

Violence: V

Sex: SS

Nudity: NN

RATING: R

RELEASE: November 11, 2011 in New York and Los Angeles

TIME: 136 minutes

STARRING: Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kiefer Sutherland, Alexander Skarsgard, Charlotte Rampling, Jesper Christensen, Stellan Skarsgard, Udo Kier, Cameron Spurr

DIRECTOR: Lars von Trier

PRODUCERS: Meta Louise Foldager, Louise Vesth

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Peter Garde, Peter Aalbaek Jensen

WRITER: Lars von Trier

BASED ON THE NOVEL/PLAY BY: N/A

DISTRIBUTOR: Magnolia Pictures

CONTENT: (RoRoRo, HH, C, LL, V, SS, NN, AA, MM) Extreme emotions-driven worldview verging on nihilism, coupled with the strong humanist view that man is responsible for his own fate, although there is one brief allusion to church, a shot of a painting of John the Baptist in an art book, and the marriage of the protagonist – which ultimately fails – is a central theme of the movie; seven obscenities and four profanities; violence includes angry man throws mother-in-law’s belongings outside, man throws plate and smashes it, and woman violently whips horse; strong sexual content includes bride leaves wedding reception after refusing to be with husband and engages in adulterous intercourse on golf course with wedding guest and husband and wife undress in bedroom but she interrupts and asks him to sit with her and they make out with clothes on; upper female nudity in tub; bride and groom chug cognac from the bottle; no smoking or drugs; and, boss harasses bride for tag line for PR campaign during wedding reception, man commits suicide, dysfunctional family.

GENRE: Drama

INTENDED AUDIENCE: Adults

REVIEWER: Sarah-Jane Murray

REVIEW: In this deeply disturbing art house movie shot in English, Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier explores the intertwined lives of two sisters, Justine and Claire. Alas, the sense of melancholy that dominates the lives of the two female protagonists – and, indeed, their entire world – never finds resolution or gives way to the promise of transcendent joy. Instead, von Trier posits melancholy as the only absolute, relegating the world to a desolate experience of sensations where families and friendship provide a mere glimmer of comfort and human beings lead an insect-like state where they exist and function merely for the good of the social order.

The movie opens on a visually beautiful and haunting sequence of majestic shots accompanied by Wagner’s TRISTAN AND ISOLDE, no doubt a tribute to the star-crossed medieval lovers who epitomize the romantic, emotions-driven worldview of MELANCHOLIA. Embracing a storyline distantly reminiscent of ANOTHER EARTH, von Trier imagines that another planet is rocketing towards earth. However, rather than simply appearing in the night sky, the massive comet will either swing around the earth’s orbit or crush straight into it, destroying life as we know it.

Anxiety mounts about the possible end of the world. Simultaneously, excitement builds among other groups who believe the comet will merely pass by the earth, affording those in this world with the rare opportunity to view the foreign planet up close. In the midst of this, MELANCHOLIA pits a highly dysfunctional family together for the marriage of Justine, who suffers from deep psychological troubles and is cared for intensely by her sister, Claire.

In von Trier’s movie, there’s little, if any, hope for redemption. “The earth is evil,” explains Justine, who’s prone to visions. “We don’t need to grieve for it. Nobody will miss it. . . . All I know of life on earth is evil.” “There may be life somewhere else,” exclaims Claire. “There isn’t,” Justine responds with an air of finality. “I know we’re alone. When I say we’re alone, we’re alone. Life is only on earth, and not for long.”

The merits of MELANCHOLIA lie without doubt in the breathtaking cinematography and dream-like narrative, in many ways a polar opposite (through its sense of hopelessness) to Terence Malik’s TREE OF LIFE. Yet, even von Trier offers perhaps a glimpse of hope as Justine and Claire come together, with Claire’s young son, to brace for the final cosmic impact in each other’s arms. This may remind viewers that, outside a world of faith, family is perhaps the only thing that imparts meaning to life. While MELANCHOLIA doesn’t embrace a Christian or faith-based worldview, it’s not totally worthless. In fact, believers will no doubt come away with a great sense of peace knowing that the end of this world signifies only the beginning of the next, and thankful for their faith, which imparts a sense of meaningful transcendence to even the simplest of life’s experiences.

That said, the movie has some foul language, lewd content, and explicit nudity. That, coupled with the lack of any hope for redemption, make MELANCHOLIA ultimately a turn off for media-wise viewers.

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Phone: (212) 924-6701; Fax: (212) 924-6742

Website: www.magpictures.com; Email: info@ magpictures.com

SUMMARY: MELANCHOLIA is an English language drama by Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier that explores the intertwined lives of two sisters as another planet is headed toward Earth on a collision course. The movie’s breathtaking cinematography, performances, and dream-like narrative are spoiled by a lack of real hope, brief foul language, and some explicit sex and nudity.

IN BRIEF:

MELANCHOLIA is an English language drama by humanist Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier. The story imagines another planet rocketing towards earth. As anxiety mounts about the possible end of the world, a highly dysfunctional family gathers together for the marriage of Justine. Justine suffers from deep psychological troubles and is cared for intensely by her sister, Claire. The movie contrasts Justine’s erratic character during the wedding with Claire’s behavior afterwards, as the other planet nears Earth. A sense of melancholy dominates their lives.

The merits of MELANCHOLIA lie without doubt in the breathtaking cinematography, performances, and dream-like narrative. There’s little hope of redemption, however, in the movie’s worldview. “The earth is evil,” explains Justine, who’s prone to visions. “We don’t need to grieve for it. Nobody will miss it.” Families and friendship provide a mere glimmer of comfort in MELANCHOLIA. Also, human beings lead an insect-like state where they exist and function merely for the good of the social order. MELANCHOLIA also has some foul language, lewd content, and explicit nudity. That content, coupled with the lack of hope or redemption, will turn off most media-wise viewers.